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“Fifty dollars!”
The shouts of bidders began to roll into one another. “I think I heard fifty,” Mabel called into the microphone.
From the left, Cass, Huck’s fiancée, strode across the stage with her shoulders back and fire in her eyes. She leaned in close to Mabel’s microphone. “Five hundred dollars!”
A gasping murmur rolled through the crowd as they cheered. Huck threw his head back in laughter.
“Sold!” Mabel called into the microphone with a hearty laugh.
Huck scooped up Cass and twirled her in a circle as the crowd roared to life.
“Well,” Mabel said. “This is exciting! Next up we have...” She looked at the clipboard. “Annie Crane!”
My eyes went wide.Shit.
I lifted my hand and walked onto the stage. Lark slapped my butt in playful encouragement, and I narrowed my eyes at her. A few whistles and catcalls forced a nervous laugh from me, until I saw it was Lark whooping from the sidelines. She shot me a quick wink.
“Come over here, dear.” Mabel gestured for me to stand beside her. “Ladies and gentlemen, here she is! Our resident redhead and talented artist. What do I hear for an opening bid?”
I laughed nervously as I searched the crowd. Part of me hoped Iwouldn’tsee Charles and die of embarrassment.
“Fifty dollars.” My eyes whipped right to find Charles smiling widely. Relief washed over me.
“Seventy-five.” Not recognizing the voice, I looked around to see Royal King grinning at me.
What the hell?
A subtle gasp shook through the crowd at a King bidding on me. Everyone knew my ties to the Sullivans.
“One hundred.” Charles gave me a reassuring smile.
Mabel jumped in. “Going once. Twice. S—”
“One fifty.” Royal crossed his arms, the tattoos from his forearms peeking out of his suit jacket onto the tops of his hands. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes.
“Two hundred!” Lee’s voice boomed over the crowd as he pushed past friends and neighbors to make his way toward the stage.
My eyes went wide, and my heart pounded against my ribs.
“Two fifty.” The muscles in Royal’s jaw twitched as though he were fighting back a smile.
“Five hundred dollars.” Charles’s elegant voice rose above the commotion of the crowd.
I sighed in relief.
“One thousand dollars.” There was fire in Lee’s eyes as he glared at Charles. From the background Royal laughed.
My brain clicked off-line.
What has he done?
“Sold!” Mabel shouted into the microphone. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. “Okay, okay. That was exciting, but let’s keep that charity money coming. Next up we have...” Mabel’s voice faded into the background, and I numbly made my way off the stage.
Lark stood at the base of the stairs with wide eyes. I kept moving, past her and out of the gymnasium. Needing air, I ran down the hallway. Only the clack-clack of my heels on the hard floor followed me as I pushed open the exit door into the night air.
I planted my hands on my hips, still reeling from what had happened only moments before.
“Annette.”
